Pokemon: Explorers of Shadows
by dragonwing71
Summary: The Pokemon world that is parallel to ours is in deep trouble. Shadows are flitting across the land, while powerful Pokemon threaten to destroy it all! Who's to save them? Why, a human of course!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"No way! There's no way that that Charizard is worth a Salamence!"

I narrowed my eyes defensively at the boy's tone. His raggedy, brown t-shirt showed signs of abuse in every rip and tear, while his hair dangled like a disrespected mop over his soapy, green eyes.

"Charizard and Salamence are worth just about the same!" I spat back. "They're the same rarity, and they're both awesome!" I jabbed my finger at both of the cards to prove my point.

Eric just flapped his hand in my direction, obviously thinking that I was just another 'stupid girl.' "Yeah right! I'll take the Flying Pikachu and Celebi for the Salamence." He sat back on his feet, a broad grin spreading across his face.

I did the very opposite. In one swift motion, I slammed my binder shut, obscuring the cards from view, before turning around and marching out to the courtyard.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going? We're not done yet!" Eric shouted as I exited our church. It was Sunday, which meant the boring and sluggish hours of Sunday school. Most of the kids decided to deal with it and would actually listen to Brother Mason and his time-wasting lessons. But some of the kids, a small number in fact, decided to step it up a notch. We got smarter as we watched what the Brothers would do, before finally making a move and sneaking in our trading cards into school. A few, careless kids got caught and punished, while the rest of us were sneaky enough to bring them in.

We'd pretend like we didn't feel good on certain days, so that we could scamper out of class and go to the abandoned church house next door. All of us would spread out and start our extravaganza of trading. I was known to have the rarest cards out of all of them, making me known as "Luxa the Lucky." I liked that title; it had a nice ring to it.

My shin-high uniform boots squelched as they made their way across the soggy earth. I already knew that we we're supposed to be back in class by now – which meant that everyone was packing up at the moment – but I didn't quite feel like it.

This whole entire month, on every single Sunday, I would ask to go to the nurse. But I had meant it for real. My stomach had been getting these light, fluttery feelings from deep within its depths, and my body keeps feeling as if it has lost nearly 50 pounds in a whole second. All of the other kids thought that I was just doing it to trade all the time this month. I never even bothered telling them, I had already known that their competitive brains wouldn't think that I was serious.

I finally stopped at a large rock, my uniform already damp from the mist that engulfed the small town of Cedarlock. My small arms clutched my binder to my chest as my eyes searched for a cave, _my_ cave.

Finally, my eyes spotted the small flaw in the large hunk of grey. Setting the cards down on a smaller, flatter rock, I dug my fingers into the crack. I pulled back to move half of the solid, feeling cold, stale air whispering at my cheeks.

I grinned slightly as I pulled the rock the rest of the length, exposing a dark cave that stretched back about ten feet. I grabbed the cards, careful not to spill any of them, and walked soundlessly into the yawning expanse before me.

My eyes wandered as my body traveled deeper into the chasm, settling on one thing, before flicking to the next. My stomach seemed to have subsided for a moment, giving me a moment to just enjoy the peace and quiet around here. I had never known why, but this one place seemed to say one thing to me; home. I don't know if it's the mixture of silence and darkness, or the fact that I'm alone, with no one to call me a nerd because I like pokemon, or to make fun of how my hair tends to poof out like an afro.

I sat myself down on the smooth rock that marked the end of the tunnel, my tangled hair flowing down the expanse of my neck, to my shoulders. My eyes stared off into the distance, trying to think of anything. I flipped open my blue, sticker-covered trading binder, my eyes gazing over every little detail that was etched into the cards.

The one that mainly caught my eye was the one that had its own special spot in the very center. It was a Shiny, delta species Gyarados. Not only was it delta species, but it was a shiny! Instead of its normal blue color, it was a blazing red that matched its delta species that transformed it from a water type, to a scorching hot fire type.

Loads of kids drooled over the rareness of it, while some of the more careless ones just wanted it because of how the picture looked. I gently tapped it with my index finger, watching as little sparkles of light played upon its surface.

Suddenly, the light that had been shining through the cave entrance was slowly blocked out, as if a cloud was shifting over head. My head shot up, prepared to see Eric's twisted face peering from the side of the rock.

Eric wasn't there.

Nothing was there; it seemed as if the rock was moving on its own accord.

My eyes widened; if that door shut, then I had no way of getting out of here! I threw myself at the entrance, gasping as I hit the solid rock face. "Let me out! Let me out _now_!" I screamed, pounding my fist furiously against anything that was in my way – in this case, it was the rock.

Suddenly, my stomach fluttered once more, along with my body feeling lighter. Only, this time, the fluttering turned into a burning sensation, along with my body growing lighter and lighter, until I finally felt as if I was floating off of the ground. I screamed and slid down to the floor, my hands coiled around my stomach, widening my eyes as more waves of pain hit.

The cave seemed to whisper and shout haunting, faded calls to me. What were they saying, I didn't know. Suddenly, the whispering grew louder as the cave seemed to erupt in a whirlwind. My, now abandoned, binder flapped wildly in the tumult of air and dirt. Millions of cards flashed by as, page by page, the binder flipped itself.

Then, as if a ghost had decided to come, the binder rose.

My eyes grew wide as it tilted to where the page that it was on could face me. The wind grew louder, as the binder suddenly rushed forward, towards my open face. I didn't even have time to react, before the book made harsh contact with my face. My head lolled forward, my eyes staring down at the floor. The binder soon flopped down.

The wind seemed to die down enough for me to decipher one whisper. It said, "Until the world is saved, your being shall change… And then, perhaps… there's hope."

The last thing I remember seeing was my binder slamming shut.

Before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Warmth.

That was all I felt; warmth. I smiled, letting whatever caused this feeling spread through my body.

It felt as if I hadn't felt warmth in a long time. My mind wandered to my memories, searching for a splinter of why I felt this way. But, shockingly, nothing came to mind. I merely blew it off, just focusing on the warm air surrounding me.

Until a voice reached my ears.

"…Erm, hello? Are, are you all right?"

My mind seemed to flinch at the warm voice that was calling out questions. I struggled to open my eyes, but to no prevail.

"Hello!?" The voice called once more, concern started to leak into it.

I struggled even harder, focusing on my eyelids the most. It felt as if they were plastered there by a thick layer of hot glue.

Finally, my eyelids slid open. To reveal a dog-like, blue face staring down at me.

I gave a gasp of alarm, frightening the creature in front of me to back up; it's light blue tail flicking to the left, then right.

_Who is this Riolu? _My hazy thoughts wandered. I froze. _How did I even know what this creature is in the first place? How can I even understand him?_

The – now frightened – "Riolu" slowly walked over. "Um, hi." It said in its warm voice. "Erm, are you ok?"

I did a quick, mental sweep of how my body felt. _Injuries; no. Hazy and hopelessly confused thoughts; yes. _I stood up and said, "Yeah, I'm fine." I stared at him, memorizing how he looked. His fur was a dark blue, almost the color of the sea, while his eyes were a deep red. A black stripe, almost like a mask, ran from one eye to another, only to encircle the whites and red irises. Two triangle-shaped horns were also a dark blue, while his puppy dog ears were tipped with black. His torso was also coated with a layer of black, ending in a spiking array at his hips. Surprisingly, his arms were untouched by the darkness of his fur.

"Erm, I-I think I'm ok…" I said, letting my voice trail off. "What's your name?"

The Riolu smiled at my strong question. "My name is Ryu." He spoke his name proudly, obviously loving his name. "What's your name?"

"Luxa." I said, this time, glancing to the left to see dark, cave walls bordering our area. _What an odd place to be. _I thought.

Ryu tipped his head to the side. "Luxa? That's a weird name for a Vulpix."

I froze. Vulpix?! I turned to one of the puddles that the dripping stalactites had formed. I tried walking on two legs, but I kept falling face forward, catching a glimpse of red paws every time.

I peered down at the pool, and held every part in restraining order so that I wouldn't flip out. What stared back at me wasn't a pale-skinned human face; instead, a fox-like head stared back. Two pointed ears sat promptly at the top of my head, while a large, magnificently red curl sat in between them. My fur was a orange-ish red color, while my paws were tipped with the same color as the curl. And, instead of one tail, I carried six dark red tails that curled elegantly at the ends. My mind was silenced with horror.

_H-He's right… _My worried and stuttering thoughts gulped, _I _am_ a Vulpix!_

Ryu just cocked his head to the side and dared to walk closer. "Well, you look like a normal Vulpix…" He said slowly. "Although, I've never seen a Vulpix with a mark like that!"

It was my turn to look. I swung my head around so that I could see what it was. One detail that I had missed was that on the very tips of my tails, a light blue – almost the color of fire – was wavering. I stared at it for a while, not-knowing how to react. It seemed harmless, as far as I could tell.

"Um… so, how did you get into my cave?" Ryu suddenly asked.

I lifted my head. "Huh?" Ryu just sighed.

"I was just wandering how you got into my cave. It's hidden in a secret location, and I've never told anyone about it… ever! And, suddenly, there was a flash of light, and _you _appeared." Ryu's curiosity seemed to be swarming these words.

I turned around, trying to get used to this body that I woke up in. "Um… I-"

My words were interrupted by the sound of stone being slid against each other. We both turned. Standing at the entrance, two curious gazes and evil grins gazed forward.

"Well, well! Look who's here? It's the blue-furred idiot!" The cave filled with the sound of hollow cackling. "And look! He has another idiotic friend!" More wild laughter emanated from them. I was slightly confused when I realized that the voices were _feminine_.

Ryu narrowed his eyes. "Will you two stop it already!?" He said angrily. "Do you think that you're funny?!"

They both grew silent. One of them said. "We already know that we're funny, you just have no taste." I wasn't at all shocked that it was a Murkrow. Her black feathers covered her body in a nightmarish way, standing up on the top of her head to form the shape of a hat.

The other one soon followed, looking the exact same way as the first. "But… we do have to admit that this cave is perfect for our future home!"

Ryu's eyes grew wide. "What!? No! You can't do that! This is my cave!"

"Now, now, don't be selfish!" One of the Murkrow's squawked. "We just want to _share_ this cave."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Share? Do you think we're stupid? On second thought, don't answer that."

The sisters seemed to be taken aback. "What did you say, you worthless creature?"

I just peeled my lips back in a snarl. "You heard what I said."

The sisters seemed to have had enough. The first one zipped forward, its beak headed right towards me. "You indiscrete little wretch!" She said angrily. She tucked her wings in tightly, as thin as an arrow.

I narrowed my eyes and released an ember the size of my four paws put together. The ball of flame hit her, forcing her to back-peddle a few feet, before she tried again, moving with much more speed than before.

There was a growling sound from behind me, before Ryu flashed from over head. His form was not what I had described before, now it was a flash of blue that streamed overhead.

He met the Murkrow in midair. "Wha?" She shrieked, before being silenced by Ryu's attack. The next moment, a black body was toppling to the stone floor, making a soft _thump _when it landed.

Ryu landed next, only he landed on three paws, one in the air with his eyes narrowed determinedly.

"How dare you!" The other Murkrow screeched. She dove forward, only she had more speed than her sister. Ryu soared forward once more, his form once again contorting into a blur. I opened my mouth and let out 3 more balls of flame.

The Murkrow cawed as soon as our attacks hit it, forcing it to plummet back down to the earth like her sister.

Ryu landed next to me, his fur ruffled in places. I flicked my blue-tipped tails before taking a step forward.

"Why you… brat!" The Murkrow hissed angrily. Her sister soon followed in the glare that had started.

"What's wrong, Ignis? Embarrassed that you were beaten by a Riolu like me?!" Ryu said angrily.

Ignis just stood up, fluffing her wings out. "You know that we'll see you again, Ryu. And don't think that you'll win next time!" She turned around and flapped off, her black feathered body soon turning into a dot as she flew farther away into the morning sun.

Her sister lifted her head, her own feathers showing damage. Her eyes widened at the detail at how her sister was gone. "Wait for me, sister!" She cried, before she hurried off in a flurry of black feathers.

As soon as they were no more than specks, I turned to Ryu. "Who were those two kooks?"

Ryu rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "That was Ignis and Glacer, a former rescue team. They tried to make me join their team for a while, until I told them my idea of starting my own team." He sighed and dropped his arms at his sides. His eyes took on a saddened look as he said, "But, who was I kidding! I don't have anyone else to start a team with! And, I don't have any friends…" For a minute, I thought that I had seen a small, translucent tear slither down his narrow face.

He shook his head and continued. "After I said this news to them, they freaked out! They started to attack me. I still don't know if it's for punishment, or a very rough kind of persuasion. Now, they won't leave me alone! And I'm sick of it!" He swung one of his legs out and launched a stone across the cave.

I sighed and thought for a moment, before asking, "What's a rescue team?"

Ryu looked at me as if I was crazy.

"You don't know what a rescue team is? It's when you form a team where you rescue those in need!" His eyes seemed to regain their spark once more. "I've always dreamed of forming a team! Saving fellow pokemon and feeling as if you've actually done something right in your life!" His eyes turned to me, happiness radiating off of them. "Hey, Luxa? Do you want to start a rescue team with me?"

I froze. _A rescue team? I've never heard of it, but it sounds like fun…_ I looked back at Ryu, his happiness seemed to confirm my answer and grow when I said one word;

"Yes."

He looked as if he'd won a million bucks. "Great! Well, we'd better get enrolled and get a place to stay!" He sprinted to the entrance, his tail flicking left and right with renewed happiness.

He yanked the boulder aside, creating a scratching sound that echoed off of the cave walls. "After you, partner!"

I sighed. What had I gotten myself into?

I slowly padded forward, and stepped into the morning light.


End file.
